


Playing Games

by LokisonofLaufey



Category: Red Dead Redemption (Video Games)
Genre: Humor, M/M, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-07
Updated: 2019-05-07
Packaged: 2020-02-27 11:43:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,583
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18738337
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LokisonofLaufey/pseuds/LokisonofLaufey
Summary: The girls rope Arthur into playing a ridiculous game.





	Playing Games

The girls were carrying on that night, giggling and guffawing with the best of them. Arthur minded his own business, eating some of the camp’s old stew. It’d been in the pot for hours, but a long day of riding made Arthur happy just to have food in front of him, even if the broth had boiled down and the meat was overcooked and chewy. He was just starting to relax when the trio came bustling over to the log he was seated on.

“Wanna play a game with us, Arthur?” Mary-Beth asked. There was an excited giddiness in her eyes, and she was already shuffling aside her skirts to sit beside him.

“I’spose. What kinda game?” he asked, spooning another bite into his mouth.

“It’s called ‘Fornicate, Marry, Murder,’ ” Karen announced without a blink. Arthur choked on a potato and he needed a minute to cough it out.

“If it’s too much for you, we’ll play with someone else,” she continued, a little bit of her ruthlessness poking through.

“Why ain’t you playing with Miss O’Shea, or that Adler woman?” He wiped his mouth clean and set aside the remainder of his stew. Might as well, he wasn’t going to get any more peace that night.

“Miss Molly can’t get her nose out of the air long enough to give an answer, and Sadie, well,” Karen softened a little. “It’s not the kind of game she’d enjoy right now is all.”

“I guess,” Arthur agreed, casting his eyes about the camp. “What about Micah? He loves games.”

Tilly scoffed, rolling her eyes.

“Yeah, if we wanted an ass-backward answer, sure,” she said, sitting on the log adjacent to the one he was perched on. “That man can’t play nice, and you know it.”

“Yeah, yeah, I do. So, how’s this game played?” His last chance to escape withered before him and he was left looking at the hopeful seeming girls.

“Well,” Karen plopped down beside Tilly, suddenly excited. “We name three persons, and you tell us which one you’d rather fornicate, marry, or murder.”

Arthur stared at her a moment, trying to decide if he could get away if he bolted right then and there. They looked hungry, like a pack of wolves, and he was a mere rabbit.

“All right then, let’s get it over with,” he conceded with a sigh.

“Great!” Karen clapped her hands together. “Since the only folk we all know are the ones in this here camp, we’re gonna have to choose among them. So, I’ll start. Mary-Beth. Your choices are Pearson, Swanson, and Uncle.”

“You’re foul,” Mary-Beth scolded her, but her face grew thoughtful.

“I suppose fornicate the Reverand. Marry Mr. Pearson, at least he can cook. And that leaves poor Uncle,” she laughed. “My turn, Tilly, you ready?”

“Sure am!”

“All right then. Javier, Micah, and Kieran.”

“…… lemme think. Fornicate Javier, murder Micah, of course, and marry the horse boy.”

The girls tittered, and Arthur couldn’t believe he agreed to any such game. It was utter nonsense. He rolled his eyes heavenward, asking for a bolt of lightning to end his suffering.

“Miss Karen,” Tilly went on, a mischievous grin twisting her face. “Abigail, John, and Dutch.”

“Lawd,” Karen pretended to fan herself. “You drive a hard bargain there, Miss Jackson. Murder John and marry Abigail. Can’t say I wouldn’t mind a ride on that mustache though.”

Arthur made a pained sound. These women were downright foul. Maybe a stray bullet would find its way into camp and strike him dead. It was too much to hope for. He didn’t need these uncouth thoughts in his head. The girls only laughed, loud and obnoxious. Sean snorted from where he lay, but only rolled over in his sleep.

“Mr. Morgan. It’s your turn,” Karen grinned at him in a way that frankly drew a shiver down his spine. Something like horror must have shown on his face because she only laughed.

“Let’s see. Charles, Hosea-”

“Miss Jones, that man is as close to being my daddy as any man can be,” he reminded her in warning.

“Mmm, Hosea,” Mary-Beth said in spite of him, her voice a breathy whisper. “That man could do things to me.”

“All right, all right, let’s go with… Molly then. Charles, Molly, and Strauss.”

Arthur’s features twisted in disgust. Lewd and crude. He’d never let himself become cornered by these creatures again. They pretended to be sweet and unassuming (Karen didn’t count, she was something else entirely) but they were really downright nasty.

“C’mon, Arthur, you said you’d play with us,” Tilly said innocently.

“Y’all are devil women,” he said. They only giggled in response.

“I’d, uh. I’d… f….f- what I mean to say is-”

“You would fornicate,” Karen led him along.

“Outta your mouth, not mine. I’d do that thing with Molly, I s’pose. If I had to. Murder Strauss, that one’s easy. And marry Charles.”

He spared a glance to where the aforementioned man was sitting across the way, whittling a stick into an arrow, nervous as if the other man could hear the lecherous game they were playing. He was a good man, a dependable man. He’d make a good husband if it ever came down to it. Karen whistled low and slow, obviously catching the look.

“He’s got real nice arms,” she agreed. “Strong, silent type. He’d made a good husband for you, Arthur.”

“Now you knock it off,” his face colored in embarrassment. She wasn’t wrong, but he wasn’t going to be the one to admit it. “You dragged me into this godforsaken game. Are we done?”

“Aw, but you didn’t get to ask anyone,” Mary-Beth pouted. But Arthur had enough. He was going to wash his hands of the entire situation and be done with these ladies.

“More’s the pity,” he grumbled sarcastically, getting up and resolutely moving to his bedroll. The girls could giggle amongst themselves all they wanted, he needn’t be present for it. And he certainly wasn’t going to be the butt of their jokes when they were the ones that asked him to participate. He flopped down on his side, facing away from them, and squeezed his eyes shut.

~

Several days later saw Arthur taking a rare moment to himself. Dutch hadn’t sent him off on a task, so before the man could think one up, Arthur grabbed his fishing gear and wandered down to the nearest water source. He was certain he’d seen fish darting around under its surface once, so it’d serve him just fine. He wasn’t working towards catching the biggest, he just wanted to turn his brain off for a few hours.

He’d taken a handful of jobs if only to avoid hanging around camp. Occasionally the girls would glance at him and snicker, much to his chagrin. He caught Abigail doing it once and wondered if nothing was sacred or them. A bunch of gossiping fools. He moved on before she could see his face turning red.  
He now sat propped against a large rock, fishing line cast into the water, and his hat covering his face from the sun. He was happily drifting, mind settling on nothing in particular, when he heard someone walk up beside him. He was about to draw his pistol when the person spoke up.

“Would you mind if I joined you?” Charles asked. Arthur tipped his hat out of his face and looked up at the man standing beside him. He appeared loose-limbed and comfortable, so Arthur tried to remain much the same way.

“Go ahead. Nothing’s biting yet,” he warned, but watched the other man sit beside him nonetheless. It wasn’t until Charles had cast his own line and come to sit by a neighboring tree that he realized he was watching him too closely. Arthur cleared his throat and focused on his own business, trying to force the color off his face. Ever since that night with the gals he couldn’t help but entertain a few unbidden ideas that caused him a fair amount of mortification.

“Say, uh, Miss Jones didn’t send you after me, did she?” he wouldn’t put it past the meddlesome woman to interfere in his private life.

“No,” Charles said shortly, seemingly focused on his task. He also failed to ask why Arthur would ask such a thing, which was just fine by him. Arthur nodded and replaced his hat. If he did get a bite, he assumed it would wake him up. And, he entertained the afterthought; the hat would prevent him from sneaking glances at the other man, which he couldn’t really explain away.

A few hours passed in companionable silence before something tugged Arthur’s line. He sat up almost immediately, hat dropping to the dirt as he started to reel in whatever it was. Distracted as he was, he didn’t notice how close Charles had moved. The other man leaned towards him and pecked him on the cheek, surprising Arthur into dropping his fishing pole. He watched it drag out into the water before going under, raising a hand to touch his cheek. When he turned to look at Charles, the other man was grinning at him.

“Tilly sent me,” was all he said with a charming wink, hauling himself back to camp, and leaving a stunned Arthur behind. It took him a minute or two to process what had just happened, but when he finished, he jumped to his feet and chased after the other man.

Meddlesome women indeed.

**Author's Note:**

> The game's answers don't reflect my own views. I love everyone. Except Micah. He can fuck off.


End file.
